Wonderful Visit on Mother's Day, Joy Seeing Best Friend and Cousin

Mother's Note:  

We had a wonderful talk with Elder Withers on Mother's Day.  He looks great, and is really enjoying the work.  He is an amazing missionary, but still the same Chad we know and love.  

Dallin (Elder Hill) that he mentions in this letter is his cousin.  They have always been close friends.  Elder Hill is from Woods Cross, Utah and is serving in the Concepcion South Mission.  Chad is in the Concepcion Mission, and the mission offices are in the same building.  They both happened to be passing through the office at the same time.  I can only imagine the excitement they must have felt to see each other.  

We have received travel plans for Elder Withers.  He will be home on June 17!!!

Dearest Family,

Me da gusto saber que estan bien.  (It makes me happy to know you are all well.)

Today, for the first time since the MTC, I saw Dallin!!!  We both happened to be in the office at the same time.  It was cool to see him.  I was going to take a picture, but my camera battery died right then, I will be sure to charge it today.  My companion took a picture of us.  It was fun to sit down and just talk with him for about 15 or 20 min.  I will get you that picture.  Dallin is such an awesome person.  I am glad to be his cousin.

This week my companion and I are planning to work crazy hard, and we’ve got the plans to do it.  We both want to finish our missions working hard.  We are trying to find people to teach and baptize.  We are working with an 18 year old named Sebastian, he went to church yesterday and is preparing to be baptized on June 6.  There is also Claudia who is 16, and is preparing for the 13^th of June.  They are both friends of a ward missionary who invited them to take the lessons.  There is also Victor, 9 years old, whose grandfather is active, but mother is less active.  The whole family lives together, and they are excited for their youngest to be baptized on the 13th.  We however would really like to find some families.  Because people have to go to church 3 times before they can get baptized, people who we find this week I can see get baptized.  The favor I am asking for is that you pray for us to find families who accept the gospel and go to the temple in a year, as well as pray for Sebastian, Claudia, and Victor.  Elder Barnes and I are going to do all we can to find new investigators.  Your prayers are appreciated.

Today, we ate lunch with the Kauer family, a missionary couple from Rexburg.  They are really nice.  They invited us to eat with them, and it was a great lunch.  It was good to eat a chicken enchilada (something that no one cooks here in Chile).  

I am happy and healthy.  I am eating in the mornings and evenings nothing but fruit smoothies, and trying to eat less bread and soda at lunches.   

We are working at getting the area all figured out.  There are lots of member families, and we decided to make thank you notes for all of them.  We really want to take advantage of having so many members, so we are going to work at getting references, including helping Bishop build a covering/garage for his pickup truck.

I greatly appreciate the many emails and letters that you guys send.  You are more than awesome.  I love you all more than the number of pounds of ice it would take to make the ocean freeze over thick enough to drive some 10,000 semi trucks lined up in a train.

I love you all!

-Elder Withers